"We Stay Where..." by Brian J. Smith

We stay where…

by Brian J. Smith

 

“COME on in, Joey,” a sweet female voice said. 

Joey flinched, and sat up. He braced his damp blue striped green beach towel with both hands and scanned his surroundings. He slid his tongue across his dry cracked lips and saluted the sun with his right hand. 

A shadow fell across the expanse of soft white sand and eclipsed the sunlight warming his cheeks. He removed hand and glanced up at a short skinny blonde in a pink two-piece bikini with black polka dots. Her hair clung to the back of her neck in a thick sunlit ponytail and framed her tan round face; tears of water dripped off the tip of her chin and onto the corner of his beach towel. 

She smelled like coconut and salt. He didn’t know how long she’d been in the water but it didn’t matter. She was here and a part of him never wanted her to leave. 

A white light flashed across his vision, and a scene formulated in his head. 

He and Stacy running down the shore toward the ocean. Their hands locked into a pale white yin-yang of strength and romance, their feet pounded across the shore. They stepped into the water, their feet kicking waves into the air. 

Stacey chuckled, her face divided by a wide cheerful grin rimmed with bright red lipstick. He stepped up beside of her, his bowl-cut blonde hair framed in the warm California sunlight and wrapped her up in his muscular arms. The waves surged across their feet and slammed into their feet as they reached into the waistband of their swim trunks and they each—

A current of crisp summer air swept across the sand, drew the frothy white waves toward the shore and threw more drops of salty water across the air. Wispy white clouds floated across the sky. 

She said something over the sound of The Fixx singing “One Thing Leads To Another” but he couldn’t understand. He leaned across their towels and thumbed down the volume on his big battery powered boombox sitting on the left side. Pain exploded across the length of his arm and burst against his rotator cuff like a burst of static electricity. 

The sun warmed the back of his neck, projected strange shadows across the sand and framed the tall bright orange cliff looming in the sky on the west side of the beach. A seagull floated overhead and spread its wings out from its sides, its crucifix shadow combing the wet brown sand and the tide pulling at the shore. 

“Are you okay, Joey?” She asked. 

“I’m fine, Stacey,” he said, “Sit with me for a bit.” 

There was something about this place that connected to them on a deeper level. Whether it was the sun glinting off the icy blue surface of the ocean or the feel of the water on their skin, this was a place where nothing mattered. It was there little corner of the world where they could come to hide from whatever troubles they had and forget about all of it for maybe an hour to two. 

Something brushed across Joey’s shoulder. He blinked and glanced down at the mystified expression on Stacey’s face. She reached up with her right hand, slid her palm across his hot sunburned cheek and cast a wide loving smile. 

“You want to go for a swim, baby?” 

“Yeah.” 

They stood up from their towels, and took each other’s hands. She winced, and hissed through her teeth. He kissed the back of her hand and smiled. 

She chuckled, and led him down the shore toward the ocean. The waves smacked around their feet, spraying a mist of salty tears into the air; odd Lili pads of white foam congealed together and bubbled under the warm yellow sun. They waited for another wave to settle, held their breaths and dove in. 

Underneath, veins of sunlight wriggled across the coral reef and extended across the sandy white bottom. Their legs kicked, pushing their bodies further and further across the ocean. He sped up to meet her gaze, pressed his right hand against his mouth and blew her a kiss. 

She returned the favor and pointed toward the surface. He nodded, his lungs compressing tightly for that second wind and swam upward. When they rose, the water felt cool on his lobster red skin. 

They wiped the tears from their faces and embraced each other. When they turned and swam for the horizon, they heard a loud thud. Their head snapped back as if colliding with a hard surface and spread lancets of pain down the back of their necks. 

“Ow!” She said. 

His face creasing with disappointment, he nodded toward the shore. They swam back separately, their muscles tight from exertion. The sand was warm beneath their feet as they trudged their way back to their towels and sat down. 

They dried off and sat in silence for what seemed like forever. 

His words were stolen by the cool summer breeze. 

“Did you forget?” she asked. 

He swallowed the lump in his throat and gave a solemn nod. 

—removed a small silver razor blade and examined it in the sunlight. They knew what they were doing was wrong but when their parents refused to allow them to see each other, this was their only alternative. They didn’t want it to come to this but they had no choice especially when they drew the blades across their—

They raised their hands and examined the long pulpy red gashes etched across their skin. The blood had dried a long time ago but the scar still remained. 

“You don’t…” she said. 

“Not at all,” he said. “If this was the only way we’re supposed to be together, then so be it.” 

They leaned back on their towels. 

“Besides,” she said, “we stay where we die. It’s in the rule book.” 

Their fingers intertwine as the waves crash upon the shore.